HMS ''Turpin'' (pennant number P354) was one a group three T-class submarines of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

which entered service in the last few months of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to be named ''Turpin''. She was sold to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

in 1965 and commissioned into the

Israeli Sea Corps The Israeli Navy (, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'', ; ) is the naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Eilat and the Red Sea theater. The current command ...

in 1967 as INS ''Leviathan''.

Construction

''Turpin'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

on 24 May 1943, was launched on 5 August 1944 and completed on 18 December 1944 (although she had already been commissioned on 1 October that year). ''Turpin'' was a Group 3 T-class submarine, of all-welded construction.

Career

As HMS ''Turpin''

At the end of the war, all surviving Group 1 and Group 2 boats were scrapped, but the group 3 boats (which were of welded rather than riveted construction) were retained and fitted with snort masts. In 1955, ''Turpin'' was inside the arctic circle on an ELINT mission, listening for specific frequency bands of Soviet radars. Suddenly, the ELINT specialist noted an unusual signal that was from a very short range radar. The operator registered that they were about to be rammed by a Soviet Navy surface vessel, and a crash dive was ordered. The ''Turpin'' submerged below a cold water line which allowed them to evade Soviet sonar and escape.Richard Aldrich, ''GCHQ'', (London: Harper Collins, 2010), p. 171. ''Turpin'' was sold to the

Israeli Navy The Israeli Navy (, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'', ; ) is the Israel Defense Forces#Arms, naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Eilat and the Red Sea th ...

in 1965, and renamed ''

Leviathan Leviathan ( ; ; ) is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch. Leviathan is of ...

'', after a biblical sea monster.

As INS ''Leviathan''

The submarine was purchased by

, along with two of her T-class sisters, in 1965, HMS ''Truncheon'' and HMS ''Totem''. She was commissioned into the Israeli Sea Corps in 1967. She was eventually scrapped in 1978. A

Dolphin class submarine The ''Dolphin'' class () is a diesel-electric submarine developed in Israel and constructed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, Germany, for the Israeli Navy's Shayetet 7 flotilla. The first boats of the class were based on the expo ...

named ''Leviathan'' was commissioned in 2000 to the Israeli Navy.

Footnotes

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Turpin (P354) British T-class submarines of the Royal Navy Ships built in Chatham 1943 ships World War II submarines of the United Kingdom Cold War submarines of the United Kingdom British T-class submarines of the Israeli Navy